Friday, October 06, 2006

The Dems & Assimilation

[T]hat [assimilation] is very difficult for some people to do especially, I think, for Mexicans because they are so close to their country here so they try to stay Mexican but try to be in America so there's this kind of back and forth and what I'm saying to the Mexicans is you've got to go and immerse yourself and assimilate into the American culture become part of the American fabric. That is how Americans will embrace you. That was my, I think, the secret, if there is one, to success.

The fact that Democrats and libs of all stripes attack these remarks give a great deal away about their views on immigration, assimilation and America. What exactly is wrong with telling Mexicans that, if they want to live in America and be American citizens, they need to speak English and become part of the great melting pot that has absorbed newcomers since this country was established (and before)? Do the Democrats and their allies in the MSM really want to see Mexican-Americans ghettoized, condemned to low paying jobs and a second-class lifestyle because they won't (or can't) speak English? (Well, yes, of course many of them do. That requires them to rely on lots of government services, and the Dems are the party of government. Reason not the need.)

What's more, usually the Democrats trot out people who, because of their backgrounds, are "uniquely" qualified to speak to a particular subject (take, for example, their efforts to find veterans who are against the Iraq war). As an immigrant himself, if anyone has particular authority to make those remarks, it would be Schwarzenegger. So does the "authenticity by way of personal background" playbook only apply when the speaker agrees with the libs?

Finally, the liberal approach to assimilation speaks volumes about America. Conservatives want immigrants to assimilate because it creates a unified country, and because we believe that America is a great nation, with a culture that is worthy of being assimilated into. It seems to me that, by their response to Schwarzenegger's statement -- and their approach to the "melting pot" generally -- Democrats and liberals implicitly express the belief that there's nothing great or special about this country that merits having newcomers change their ways in order to be part of it.

The concept of American Exceptionalism is definitely at odds to the Multiculturalist notion that all cultures and societies are equally valid. I'm not sure that the latter concept is provable, but it sure appears to be a heartfelt article of faith among the politically correct crowd. Indeed there may not be any concept more politically correct than that.